Laughter
by Indigo-Typhoon
Summary: Prince is really bored, and needs to blow off some steam, but wih his sense of direction going solo is a bad idea... SPOLIER WARNING! Pairings and more explicit Spoiler Warning in Author note. Disclaimer inside.
1. Kenshin

A/N: Ok, my first ever Half Prince Fanfic. It is a great Manhua and more people should read it. This is supposed to be set AFTER chapter 33. I haven't read any further into it, so please don't tell me if I got something wrong. It's not that I want to be incorrect, I just don't want the story spoiled. There are a lot of spoilers, so please don't read it if you don't want them. It is also mild PrinceXKenshin, but mostly friendship.

Disclaimer: I own nothing to do with Half Prince.

Dedication: FrostyTheRadiator, without whom I would never have found Half Prince.

Being in charge of Infinite City had its bad points, especially how much harder it was to train. Prince was getting a little sick of the band act, all he wanted was to go off and slaughter a ton of mobs. He appreciated that it was partly his fault the city needed Gold though, so he tried his utmost to bear with things.

Three days into things though, Prince had had enough. Fairsky, Phoenix, Wicked and Gui had all been bickering since they logged on, Sunshine would NOT stop asking questions, Feng Yang Min had been annoying over dinner, and, to top it all off, Meatbun was sulking.

"KENSHIN!" Prince practically howled as he seized the alarmed pet by his shirt, "I am going insane! If I don't kill something soon then it's going to end up being the next person who speaks to me, who will most likely be Sunshine. Please, please, PLEASE come with me to find something to fight?"

Kenshin wished Prince wouldn't get himself swept away by emotion like that. It was hard to follow. However, wanting to go and fight, at least, he easily understood. Doing something familiar would help him absorb all the new sights and sounds he'd experienced recently and he was missing having the blood elf as he constant companion. Sharing him with an entire city was difficult and irritating as he could be, Kenshin was sincerely glad that Sunshine was around. Being alone would have been intimidating.

By the time they had tracked a mob, as Meatbun was refusing to use his aroma ability, Prince was being pestered with PMs from his team mates and fellow band members, as Sunshine had blithely informed them that Prince was "out beating up monsters." Sunshine had been happy to stay behind, choosing to satisfy his curiosity by plaguing all of them with questions.

Kenshin wasn't entirely sure Prince was ALLOWED to ignore the PMs, but couldn't engender any enthusiasm for enquiring. He was happily weaving in and out, attacking and feinting as he saw fit, while Prince was indulging in a total blitz. After an hour or so, they finished fighting and moved to a sheltered spot.

"Shouldn't you talk to your team mates?" Kenshin broached, unwillingly.

"Nnn... Don't feel like it yet. Will do in a bit. Next concert's not for a week anyway, and we'll get there in a couple of days." Prince mumbled, closing his eyes. Much to Kenshin's surprise, the elf seemed drained, even lethargic.

"Was the fighting that hard?" Kenshin queried, leaning back slightly in an effort to relax.

"No... Just the travelling from place to place singing all the time instead of training and fighting and stuff... It gets me down. I almost wish we were still in the Eastern Continent. I hated being separated from my team mates, but it was more fun than this..." Prince slumped dejectedly after this confession and Kenshin was forced to rack his brains.

What exactly did Sunshine normally do when people were sad? Kenshin had a feeling that drinking tea wouldn't help. Besides they didn't have any. Decided to follow the one course of action Sunshine had used whenever someone got upset that he could at the time; Kenshin began cautiously patting Prince's shoulder.

Prince looked up in surprise and caught the mix of concentration and nervousness on Kenshin's face. His mouth twitched into a smile. Kenshin was patting slowly and carefully, although the shoulder might bite him. Prince began to chuckle. Kenshin looked up, a slightly injured look on his face and announced:

"Well, it worked when SUNSHINE did it."Prince howled with laughter, collapsing in a heap as he was racked with gasps of mirth. It was several minutes before he attempted to sit up, wiping tears from his eyes and still sniggering slightly.

Kenshin had stared in amazement throughout the entire episode; he'd never seen someone laugh so long, so loud, so irrepressibly. He had been transfixed. Prince was smiling now.

"I better check these PMs." His tone was lighter. Kenshin wondered if laughing had changed his mood so dramatically. If so, maybe that was _meant_ to happen when you patted someone's shoulder? Was that why he'd thought it a somewhat useless gesture? He'd simply needed to laugh at it?

"Ugh, you'd think I got lost every time they took my eyes off me!" Annoucned Prince, ignoring the fact that last time he'd gone off by himself he'd managed to end up on a different _continent_.

"Hey Lolidragon? Can you let everyone know I'm headed home? Eh, why you? Well... because they'll all go crazy when they see me anyway and I'll be here for hours replying to all of these... Really? Thanks Lolidragon!" Prince concluded the Private Chat.

"We'll have to go. Gui and Zh- I mean Wicked are practically eating the carpet." Prince sighed, before noticing Kenshin's stricken expression.

"If they eat Sunshine's carpet he'll go bezerk! We have to get back before that happens" Yelped Kenshin in a panic. He was a little offended when Prince started to laugh again. But he also felt a little happy. Something about Prince's happiness being caused by him was making him feel both awkward and pleased. He shrugged it off and waited for an explanation.

"It's... An... Expression... Kenshin..." Chuckled Prince.

"Oh." Kenshin felt embarrassed and awkward. Something that multiplied when Prince flung his arms around the demon lord in a brief but heartfelt hug.

"Thanks for cheering me up Kenshin." Prince murmured, feeling a weird impulse to cling on to his ally. They walked back in relative silence, Prince enjoying the calm before the storm that awaited their return and Kenshin pondering about his "owner."

He was surprised to find that the strange emotion he often felt toward the elf had the nostalgic quality which meant it had somehow featured in his background story that the GMs had written him. He dismissed it though, in favour of quietly contemplating all the new impulses he had seen recently. Part of his mind muttered that he was avoiding the issue, but Kenshin was sure there was no issue to avoid.

Prince was literally pounced upon by Gui the moment that they arrived at the small inn the band had been staying at. Sunshine happily skipped over to Kenshin, sharing all the information he'd acquired by questioning the others. Spurred on by the memory of Prince's former laughter, Kenshin decided to test Sunshine's knowledge.

"Did you know, if Prince hadn't arrived when he did, Gui and Wicked were planning to eat your carpet?" Kenshin's face and tone were perfectly solemn and, predictably, Sunshine fell for it.

His joy turned to wrath as he set upon the unfortunate and confused bard and swordsman with a vengeance.

"Kenshin... Why is Sunshine...?" Prince's question trailed off as Kenshin assumed a face of perfect innocence.

"I only mentioned them planning to eat the carpet?" He said, sweetly, deliberately exaggerating things in hope of making Prince laugh again.

He succeeded; even Sunshine's wrath was halted in the intensity of Prince's laughter. And Kenshin felt that nostalgic emotion rise within him as he watched Prince's smiling face.


	2. Gui

A/N: Wow... I wasn't planning a second chapter to Laughter but it just sort of came out. I've decided I want to do a few more chapters from different characters viewpoints each time. This is written in third person, but it's Gui's viewpoint so things are described as he sees them. The story will progress chronologically.

Disclaimer: I own nothing and I never will.

Gui felt unsettled. It had been bad enough discovering that Wicked, Fairsky and IcePhoenix all competed with him for Prince's affections. It had been agony waiting for him to return from the Eastern Continent. It had been horrifying to discover that Wicked could somehow stay in touch with Prince during this time. It had made him wrathful that after all IcePhoenix had done Prince still thought fit to kiss her in forgiveness. He had almost burst with jealousy that Prince had done the same to Fairsky but shunned Gui himself.

Now things had gone too far. Prince had brought the mysterious "Kenshin" back with him from the eastern continent, along with three other players, one of which was a highly irritating young man named Sunshine with a useful magic carpet and an infuriating love of asking questions. And now Prince was going off, alone, with this Kenshin person.

Normally Gui loved nothing more than seeing Prince's smile, conscientiously ignoring the fact that he was still unsure of his motives for behaving this way toward Prince. But knowing that Kenshin was making his Prince smile and laugh in way Gui had never managed was tearing him up inside. He decided he HAD to know whether or not Kenshin was another rival, or just a close comrade for Prince.

"Kenshin! I wish to speak with you." He announced, curtly. The swordsman looked a little worried, and glanced at Prince for guidance as he was so wont to do. Gui's hackles rose at the affection in the reassuring glance Prince shot the swordsman.

"What exactly is Prince to you?" He demanded as soon as they were out of earshot of the others. Kenshin looked surprised, and thoughtful.

"..." He didn't seem to want to answer.

"You better make up your mind." Gui threatened, "Prince won't like it if you're inconsistent in how you deal with him."

"I was merely wondering how to express it." Kenshin's tone was defensive.

"The simplest way to put it... Is probably that he is my master. I am bound to follow him anywhere. You could also say that I feel an inclination to make him happy although that is not part of our obligation. He freed me from a prison that I couldn't escape alone." Gui was shocked to the core at the strength and confidence in the normally reserved voice.

"When you say... He freed you... Are you talking about... A LOST LOVE?!?" He stuttered, trembling slightly with shock. Kenshin tilted his head slightly, as if in thought.

"I suppose you could call it that. Although it went far deeper in truth." He replied. He seemed to believe that they were done, and immediately returned to the side of his self-proclaimed master.

Gui could only watch helplessly as Prince greeted Kenshin warmly and smiled at him.

"It's... Not fair," he mumbled, feeling a well of tears threaten, "I... loved you _first_ Prince."

"Gui!" Prince's voice broke into his thoughts, "Come on, it's time to go eat." Prince gave _him_ that warm smile he held so dear. He would always have to share the elf, but for now, just for now, that smile was his alone.

He might lose it. Maybe to Wicked, or Fairsky, IcePhoenix, Kenshin, even Lolidragon or Nan Gong Zui. But he would fight for it. And he would fight to protect it. For he'd far sooner his Prince smiled for another than didn't smile at all.

A/N: This one's a little short. I'll try to do better next time. To clear a few things up, this is assuming that no-one but Lolidragon, Prince and those from the Eastern Continent know that Kenshin and Sunshine are Prince's pets. So when Kenshin calls Prince his "master" Gui misunderstands. Also when he claims that he loved Prince "first" I know Wicked loved her longer, but Gui is saying he loved _Prince_ first. In which he's correct. Wicked made the connection between Prince and Feng Lan _after_ Gui had joined up. I'm not counting his fangirls in that. And I probably won't write as either Fairsky or IcePhoenix unless I have to.


	3. Lolidragon

A/N: Ok. Chapter Three is Lolidragon. I finally have a confirmed structure for the rest of this fic.

Disclaimer: Nothing's changed. I still own nothing.

Lolidragon had been thoroughly surprised when Gui contacted her and begged her to come and talk to him. She guessed that if the bard was so upset it most likely had something to do with Prince. Idly, she wondered if Prince had added Wicked to his list of kisses, making Gui the only one left out.

"Lolidragon!" Gui exploded as soon as he saw her, "Does Prince like Kenshin?"

Lolidragon froze in surprise. Gui went on to explain that Prince had gone off alone with the demon and returned in a much better mood. He also detailed his own conversation with Kenshin.

Lolidragon's mind worked furiously. She had expected Prince to fall for Gui, found it likely he'd end up with Wicked, been prepared for him to grow fond of Fairsky or Icephoenix, even idly considered him being interested in Nan Gong Zui, but KENSHIN?

That couldn't happen could it? Surely Prince, of all people, could guess at the consequences. After all... Self-aware or not, Kenshin was a PET.

Wait, could that be it? A simple case of Prince being highly protective over the pet he'd worked so hard to free? That would make sense. He DID seem closer to Kenshin than Sunshine, but he'd known Kenshin longer and been saved by him.

Gui was still staring at her, desperate for reassurance. Having reasoned things out, Lolidragon smiled at him.

"I can't be certain until I see them together, but I'm sure it's just a case of them going through a lot together." Gui looked so doubtful that Lolidragon felt a sudden flutter of anxiety rush around her stomach, but quickly doused it. She would go and check on Prince, just to convince herself, and then put the ridiculous theory, based entirely on a misunderstanding, behind her.

"Lolidragon!" Sunshine, the first to spot her greeted her warmly, and hearing the name called out led Prince to look up and rush over. Kenshin followed closely behind Prince and the other three band members followed suit.

They were all pleased to see her, and she told them she was just checking up on them. Well, it was half the truth. She never let on what was going on, but she kept a special eye on both Prince and Kenshin.

She saw that the Demon Lord hardly ever left the Blood Elf's side. She saw that Prince chatted to him more than anyone else. She saw that Kenshin was greatly angered by Gui's flamboyant affection, although nowhere near as much as Wicked who had to be stopped before Gui lost a level.

She saw the warmth in Prince's face when he turned to his "pet." She saw it all, and began to doubt her perfect, neat theory that explained things nicely. The more she watched, the more anxious SHE became for confirmation that Prince's affection for Kenshin was purely platatonic.

It was a ridiculous concept, the thought that a Player could fall for an NPC, but hadn't Prince's whole journey been unbelievable? A girl playing as a guy on a game that's 99.9% realistic? A talking Meatbun? That married a Fire Phoenix? A straight, male demon bard falling for a male player? Prince just happening to meet her former crush who was still in love with after eight years first in the game and then in real life? Managing to get lost and ending up on a whole new continent? Doing two meant to be unbeatable sidequests? Given all that... maybe, just maybe, it WAS possible?

Lolidragon got Prince alone as soon as she could. Which involved telling Kenshin, first nicely, then tersely, then rudely, then getting Prince to do it for her, that he had to clear off for a bit.

"Prince!" Lolidragon demanded fiercely, ignoring his nervous expression, "How do you feel about Kenshin."

Lolidragon watched his face change slowly from surprise to thought. She felt uneasy at how long it took before he replied.

"At first... he was just someone I owed a lot. Then he became someone I felt responsible for. Now... He's one of the best friends I've ever had. When he made me laugh so hard, I felt better than I had for ages... And it's cute, y'know? He's got almost no experience at interacting or exploring, so he's always asking advice."

Lolidragon felt partly reassured. Prince obviously didn't love Kenshin, but he was growing very attached to him. Normally she would have loved such an interesting development, but Prince was her friend. She didn't want to see him hurt. Ever.

"Prince... He isn't real." She whispered, afraid that speaking any louder would reveal the tremble in her voice.

"Huh? But of course. I already knew that Lolidragon..." He seemed oblivious as always. Then, hearing Gui call, he bounded off.

Lolidragon could only watch helplessly as Kenshin immediately returned to Prince's side, and was greeting with a dazzling smile. Her unease was curbed by seeing him give a similar smile to both Gui and Wicked, but provoked by a significant difference in expression when he smiled at Sunshine. He thought he knew that Kenshin wasn't real... But deep down, she doubted that he had truly accepted the fact.

A/N: This fic is getting sadder as it progresses... Just for the record, I wasn't bashing the storyline mentioning how unrealistic the storyline is. That's just lolidragon realising that Prince is an exceptional player and anything is possible with him.

Next up is Nan Gong Zui.

Remember people, without FrostytheRadiator, NONE of this would have happened. I'd most likely have never even FOUND Half Prince. So EVERY chapter in this fic is dedicated to her.


	4. Nan Gong Zui

A/N: Well, here's Nan Gong Zui's chapter, I've been having trouble with this one, plus I just went back to school so things are a little hectic.

JuMiKu rightly pointed out that Prince most likely wouldn't have accepted Lolidragon calling Kenshin and Sunshine "not real." I don't want to write OOC but as I can't think of a good way to change that viewpoint without either contradicting myself or re-uploading the same chapter, which would be unfair and confusing to people waiting for updates, I may have trouble correcting this. I'll try though

Disclaimer: I own none of this.

##==##

Nan Gong Zui found Prince fascinating. The Blood Elf was ferocious and lethal in battle, yet hounorable and loyal no matter the circumstance and cheerfully courteous outside of battle. Being given the chance to fight Fan one on one had been the start of a beautiful alliance, Icephoenix being saved from Fan's false love the start of a wonderful friendship. So it was natural that Nan Gong Zui would worry over Prince and keep an eye out for him.

He had no clue why Lolidragon had begged him to secretly follow Prince and Kenshin when they went off to fight though. He had been greatly inclined to disagree, until she had explained that the whole team was starting to worry about Prince's safety and wanted Nan Gong Zui to check things out for them.

He still felt uncomfortable trailing them though. He didn't believe it was right to deceive your comrades, especially when they were as good as Prince. Still, he was willing to do so, as long as it would benefit Prince ultimately.

Within half an hour he was convinced that Odd Squad were paranoid. Prince and Kenshin fought in such wonderful unison as partners that, deadly as each was alone, they seemed unbeatable.

He was getting ready to leave when he saw something that surprised him. Prince and Kenshin had cleared the last of the mobs from the area, deciding to pause for a break and sat down next to each other, Prince resting his head on his ally's shoulder.

Nan Gong Zui felt uncomfortable, feeling as though he was seeing something private, although Prince had never seemed embarrassed by physical contact, so the gesture was most likely platonic. That just wasn't the impression he was getting. The gesture seemed too tender, Kenshin's reception of it somehow too warm.

He was further surprised to see the demon wrap his arm hesitantly around Prince. His only thought was escape. He knew, without any need for thought, that he shouldn't be seeing this.

He returned swiftly to Infinite City, curtly and briefly explaining what had happened to Lolidragon. He expected her to laugh when he mentioned the suspicion that was nagging at his mind.

"I think that Prince and Kenshin... may be... together." He was startled to see Lolidragon's face drain of all colour.

"Ha ha, I'm gonna tease him so much once he gets back!" She giggled, so convincingly that Nan Gong Zui began to seriously doubt that she'd actually been panicking.

He hoped Prince would prove him wrong, after he had never noticed Prince show any attraction to males before. There were also the kisses to IcePhoenix and FairSky to consider. Surely Prince was straight?

"What's wrong?" Nan Gong Zui, as sick as everyone else of Sunshine's love of questioning, was momentarily irritated by the sudden appearance of the mysterious man, until he realised that Sunshine could be the best person to help him out of his current predicament.

"Do you know anything about Kenshin's relationship with Prince?" He barked, direct and to the point. Sunshine tilted his head, staring with such wide-eyed innocence that Nan Gong Zui began to wonder if he'd have been better off asking someone naive, like Doll. Or even stupid, like Feng Wu Chin. Or even, as nearly ten minutes of silence passed, someone who hardly knew Prince like Fan.

"Well... Prince means a lot to us both. He rescued us. He took us in. And for Kenshin, he gave him closure. Kenshin cares about him more than anyone else. And Prince likes Kenshin. Very much." Nan Gong Zui stared at Sunshine with a little incredulity.

" You look like Gui and Wicked did. Are you also planning to eat my carpet?" Sunshine's voice was distinctly threatening, and Nan Gong Zui hastened to reassure him that eating carpets was the FURTHEST thing from his mind, while retreating. Swiftly.


	5. UglyWolf

A/N: This time it's Wolf's turn. There are only going to be another couple of chapters after this, two or three, depending on how things progress. I wish I could update more regularly but it's harder now I'm at school.

In the first chapter, the pairing warning said mild PrinceXKenshin, because at the time that was all that was intended. It is, quite definately, a significant pairing in the fic from this chapter onwards.

Also, I began this fic after reading chapter 33, after that the storyline, naturally, goes off a different tangent so it won't correlate at all, especially from this point onwards. Plus it is only implied that Wolf may have guessed Prince's identity. In this fic he has but that is author interpretation only.

==##==

Ugly_Wolf was enjoying his time in Second Life. He still found it incredible that casually joining up with a thief and a swordsman had changed his fortune so drastically. His role as team mentor and strategist was more important than ever now they had a city to take charge of.

And it was made even more important by the fact that their city lord was a girl in love. He had plenty of experience of how much more vulnerable girls of that age could be at times like this, and seeing Feng Lang around university, seeing the tell tale signs of a crush on her face, in her step, had supported his suspicions about Prince's identity.

He wasn't going to deny that it had startled him. He hadn't expected to meet Prince at all, let alone in real life. He hadn't expected Prince to be a girl. He hadn't expected Prince to go to the Eastern Continent. He hadn't expected Prince to bring back such an unusual bunch of players with him. Really, Prince falling for Kenshin was the most normal thing that had happened.

He glanced over the top of his cup, smiling slightly at how closely Sunshine watched the pair. He was beginning to think he wasn't the only one who had noticed that something was up. He felt sorry for Prince's other suitors, particularly Gui and IcePhoenix. After all, Gui had loved Prince from the beginning and IcePhoenix had only just gotten over Fan. It would be hard for her to lose Prince too.

A bit of an argument had sprung up between the two girls, with Prince in the middle of it. When he turned to intervene they both immediately began appealing to him as he retreated nervously. With a yelp Prince was swung high into the air.

Blushing and stammering, Prince began to protest that Kenshin was to put him down immediately. Kenshin ignored him, instead carrying him away from the bickering girls, blanking the frantic squeals of Doll who found it obviously adorable.

Surveying the scene, Wolf noticed that Wicked looked furious and Gui heartbroken. Lolidragon, worryingly, looked stricken while Nan Gong Zui, surprisingly, looked resigned, as though he had hoped otherwise but expected this.

"Follow them." Suggested Yulian. Ugly_Wolf glanced down at his beautiful wife in surprise, "I can see you want to know what's going on. Keep your distance though; you know how dangerous those two are."

"Of course." Ugly_Wolf smiled down at her, before slipping off, surprised at how easy it was to stay hidden when he was so large.

He found the two of them sat outside a small, unsold house, near the edges of town. Prince was scolding Kenshin for carrying him off.

"You needed help." Kenshin said, simply. After a quiet moment, Prince out his hand on the back of Kenshin's head. Kenshin looked confused as Prince slowly moved their heads closer together until they were kissing.

Ugly_Wolf felt his jaw drop in horror as he backed away from the couple, embarrassed at watching what they had intended to be a private moment, to see an anxious Wicked turn the corner in his search for his beloved. Only to find her, although Ugly_Wolf supposed the Wicked must see Prince as a man, kissing another guy.

Quietly, he walked over to the stunned Dark Elf, took his shoulder, and led him away from the blissfully ignorant couple.

"Kenshin?" Wicked mumbled, voice breaking a little.

"I'm sorry. You loved him so much." Wicked turned to look at him, sadly.

"I still do. Part of me probably always will." Ugly_Wolf began to wonder if a 99.9% realistic game was fair on the players. Was it really ok to fall in love with someone you'd never meet? He supposed that at least if your heart broke in the game, you could at least stop playing. If it happened in real life you couldn't just give up there. But still, thinking about how sad the proud warrior in front of him looked, he couldn't help but feel a deep dark sorrow.

He also felt a wave of self pity. Wicked could always take comfort in the fact that he'd never meet Prince in real life. Ugly_Wolf felt cursed that he couldn't meet Yulian.

==##==

A/N: These chapters get shorter and shorter... Thank you all so much for the favourites and reviews, it absolutely makes my day when someone takes the time to leave a comment or adds it to their favourites.

And thank you Frosty, you always inspire me to write, and knowing that you at least want more encourages me to keep writing, even without all the others.

I wonder if anyone's figured out who'll be next. It seems logical in my mind but I don't know how it seems to the rest of you.


	6. Wicked

A/N: Updating this gets harder and harder... Partly due to lack of time, and partly because right now my head is full of so much stuff that it's hard to think of Half Prince. Over the course of October I ended up watching more than 100 episodes of Kyou Kara Maoh. (If you like randomness, humor and strong storyline I recommend you give it a try) Tales of Symphonia 2 comes out in five days and my wonderful father pre-ordered it for me, I've had tons of tests and I was ill. That's my rant over...

Last chapter I was told that some people found the action harder to follow, I read it over after leaving things a while so it wasn't fresh in my mind but I found it easy to follow. If anyone finds anything hard to understand feel free to ask, I always answer reviews, even if all I have to say is thank you for your time.

This chapter is about Wicked. And this one is dedicated partly to Frosty, as always, partly to The Little Corner and partly to Odd Squad Scanlations because without them and their generous scanlating I wouldn't be able to read Half Prince.

This chapter takes place in the real world, I checked but if I got any of the names wrong I'm sorry and please tell me!  
Min Bin=Miwa/Ming Huang  
Ling Bin=Wicked  
Xiao Lan=Prince

Disclaimer: I own nothing but a random imagination, a laptop and a tendency to write overly long Author notes.

==##==

"Gege, are you all right?" Min Bin asked, openly concerned now that he no longer had to keep up the image of Leader of Dark Phantom. Ling Bin came to with a start.

"Hmm? I'm fine Didi." Ling Bin forced a smile for his anxious sibling, internally chiding himself for allowing his mood to affect his brother.

"Well... If you're really sure." Min Bin wasn't convinced, but knew better than to press the elder, hoping his strange mood was nothing more than fatigue.

Once Min Bin was safely in another room he allowed his thoughts to return to Second Life, more specifically a particular event, just two days prior.

##

He had been so _happy_ to find Xiao Lan again. He had known that they wouldn't pick up where they left off, but he had hoped they would be able to get back to their old footing without much trouble. Linking her to Prince had startled him a lot as well as showing him that he quite definitely had a rival in "Gui" who much to his irritation just _had_ to teach at the university they all attended. And teach Xiao Lan at that. Even if he didn't know who she was.

Maybe he had been too wrapped up in keeping an eye on Gui. Maybe he had been too busy fretting about Xiao Lan kissing those two girls. Maybe he had just read too much into what had happened so long ago. Either way he hadn't realised what had been developing between Xiao Lan and the mysterious swordsman she brought back with her from the Eastern Continent.

He had seen that she spent more time with him than any of her other friends from the East, but then again only Kenshin and Sunshine had come along on the concert tour, and really who _would_ spend extra time with Sunshine. Ling Bin shuddered at the memory of a vicious beating he had received from the overly-curious player, who had been screaming something about a carpet.

Judging by the lack of surprise in many of his fellow players, infuriatingly Min Gui Wen included, he was one of the few who hadn't seen it coming. Seeing Kenshin scoop up the blood elf and dash away with him when Fairsky and Icephoenix got rowdy had been startling. Driven by a need to protect Xiao Lan he had followed them, eventually finding them in an uninhabited part of Infinite City.

Kissing.

And he couldn't get it out of his head. Especially not the look of pure bliss on Xiao Lan's face as they had broken apart, only to be immediately pulled immeasurably close in a tender embrace.

"Ling Bin! Watch it!" He was once again jolted out of his reverie as he realised he had been about to add the wrong compound to their experiment, putting weeks of work at risk.

"Sorry, I'm sorry." He apologised profusely, making up his mind to go and speak with Xiao Lan directly as soon as he finished.

##

"Zhuo-gege! It's great to see you!" Xiao Lan beamed at him, obviously cheerful.

"Hi..." He mumbled, blushing a little. He had come based on his instincts, telling him to see her as soon as possible, but now he had no clue what to say.

Watching her bumble happily around, making some tea, asking him what kind of snacks he wanted only made things harder. He knew, deep down that no matter who he'd seen her with he wouldn't have been able to congratulate her. Not sincerely.

"Xiao Lan... Are you... Going out with that Kenshin guy now?" He blurted, looking at his knees.

"EH?" She yelped, startled by his sudden question.

"Uh, yesterday. I saw you two... Y'know." He still couldn't meet her eyes.

"Well... Um, I guess so. I think."

"You _think_?" Ling Bin looked up sharply. He found it slightly contradictory but however little he wanted Xiao Lan to be dating Kenshin he definitely didn't want her heart to get broken. He would _murder_ anyone who made her cry.

"Well. Kenshin... He sometimes thinks in a different way to most people. So I don't if what happened yesterday was because he liked me, or he just did it without thinking." She was the one who couldn't meet his eyes this time.

"How can you kiss someone without thinking about it?" He snapped, angry at the thought that Xiao Lan's emotions maybe being toyed with.

"_I _kissed _him_, actually." She whispered, blushing furiously.

"You what?" Ling Bin's heart sank. Xiao Lan's attraction was painfully obvious.

"I-I really, really like him Zhou-gege! We've been going off together a lot recently, and the more time I spent with him, the more I liked him. And when we were alone he'd always let me get close to him. I _know_... I shouldn't have done it, but I _did_ and I don't regret it either!" Ling Bin had never heard so much passion in Xiao Lan's voice. Her eyes were sparkling, cheeks flushing, so much more grown-up than he'd ever seen her but at the same time childishly vulnerable, so open he felt more frantically protective than ever.

"Xiao Lan! That was completely irresponsible! You don't even _know_ this guy, not really. And what about Fairsky and Icephoenix? Isn't going to be confusing to them that _Prince_ is involved with a guy?" Somehow anxiety and jealousy made him snap, speaking without really thinking. He saw Xiao Lan's eyes flash with anger before she retorted,

"I would have kissed Gui too if you hadn't stopped me, because _those_ kisses weren't meant like that! I kissed Icephoenix so she'd know I trusted her and Fairsky so she wouldn't be left out."

"You haven't mentioned anything about not knowing him though have you! What if it gets serious, you can't go meet some guy you met over the internet!" He snapped, stinging with rejection. Oh, so she'd kiss _Gui_ as well as the girls but not _him_? And how could she not realise that kissing those poor girls would only make them worse, as well as earning Prince a reputation for being a player.

"Well... It's true I could never meet him but..." She trailed off. He realised with horror he'd done exactly what he'd sworn not to do ever again when he moved away all those years ago, he'd made her cry.

"You're right. I know you're right. I should have listened to Lolidragon all along." Her shoulders sagged. Ling Bin longed to go to her, hold her, comfort her but he felt like he'd done enough.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have spoken like that." He mumbled, realising belatedly that judging by Xiao Lan's reaction... She already _was_ serious about that guy.

He muttered a bitter: "_Typical_." As it began to pour with rain once he was outside.

A/N: Wow... That's the longest chapter since the first I think.

The next chapter will be the last one, from Prince's perspective. I'm actually very happy with this one. Thanks to everyone who reviewed, faved, or added this story to their alerts.


	7. Prince

A/N: This will be the concluding chapter to Laughter. It got really hard to write toward the end, partly due to struggling with inspiration and partly due to school, etc. I won't give up on Half Prince fanfics altogether but I have no intention of editing or continuing Laughter. It went off on a tangent that I didn't intend it to and it was my first real attempt at a multi-chapter fic. For anyone who has read the whole thing, or reviewed, favourite or added to story alerts: thank you for bearing with me, this one's dedicated to you guys.

Disclaimer: I don't own Half Prince or any related content.

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"Prince." Glancing up, Prince was glad to see that no-one else had logged on yet. After speaking with Zhuo-gege she had realised that she had to sort things out. She had made the distinction between Second Life and reality, but hadn't fully appreciated the differences between other players and NPCs.

She gave a bright smile, knowing Kenshin wouldn't be able to identify the internal confusion and sadness, while Sunshine skipped around, delighted to see her. They were so important to her. Too important. Important enough to feel like they belonged in her real life, as well as this one.

"Say, Sunny? Can I ask you a favour? Please, could you run to the tower and see if Lolidragon is around?" The blood elf knew his cheerful companion would oblige, sure enough he sped off on errand immediately.

"Why do you require Lolidragon?" Asked Kenshin, slightly puzzled.

"I just... I wanted to see you on your own for a bit." She normally felt unbound from being a "Girl" when she was Prince, but right now she felt very much the "Girl," blushing at a glimpse of the familiar features or a phrase uttered in the soothing voice.

"...I see. Was that gesture last time... A custom of some sorts? I don't really know what it represents for your culture. Just... what it means in mine. If they differ I have shown you a great deal of disrespect." She began to feel a slight panic, she hadn't realised Kenshin could misunderstand such a simple gesture.

"It's a way of expressing your feelings for someone, feelings of attraction. There are other types of kisses, for different types of love, but I kissed you because I really like you." She spoke with the tone of a warrior, refusing to admit defeat to the hindering shyness she felt creeping up on her.

"They are one and the same. I was not reading things incorrectly." The pride in his voice was unmistakable. She sighed. She had felt sure that seeing Kenshin again would help her sort out her feelings, were they just a crush, or was she falling in love?

"It isn't working..." The demon lord's voice was doleful, seeing Prince's melancholy demeanour had prompted him to attempt the laugh-bringing strategy of shoulder patting, however Prince had not noticed, absorbed in thought.

"Oh Kenshin..." No matter how many times she saw it, the adorably confused look on the swordsman's face always made her laugh. Impulsively she hugged him close to her, as she had done before, yet more intimate, more affectionate. If she wasn't sure what her feelings were, she should give them time to develop. Denying them would just leave her with an open wound, unable to heal until she sought closure.

She felt the red-head stiffen in her embrace and pulled back a little, watching him anxiously. For a moment she glimpsed some kind of internal battle in his eyes. Then he frowned and pulled her into a crushing hold. She held on, relaxing against him, closing her eyes, unable to get completely comfortable no matter how she tried.

When they eventually pulled apart she darted in, intending to peck him on the cheek, only to be met in a fierce kiss, as if he wanted to express everything he had ever felt in a single motion.

"I'm... Sorry. That was an unfair thing to do." He began, then seeing her mouth open added a hasty, "No, don't interrupt. I... We do not belong together. I am my own self. The system doesn't think for me, but they created me. My feelings... are a program, written into me at creation. I... cannot love. I can feel what I see as love, but it is something different. Something unnatural. You are a creature of flesh and blood. In your strange other world where monsters and magic do not exist, you have your own magic. Emotion. Something... that cannot be created. I... could never claim to "love" you. That would be a lie, even if I meant it. I am part of a game. I am real to you for now, but one day you will grow. You will accept the missions of your secret world, creating a home, finding and keeping a job... One day finding a mate."

"I will fade from your memory, as is natural. If we were to become what is known as a couple, there is a chance you will truly fall in love. That would truly be a crime worth deletion, to change your life so drastically, chain you to this created world so tightly. I did not deserve your embraces, your kisses, but for a while I accepted, even demanded them. I apologise. I will continue to serve you, as a pet in secret and a player in public. As I did before." Prince could only stare. How could something so meaningful, so heartfelt, come from a chunk of coded data?

"He's... mature. More so than me." She thought sadly, "He didn't think of his own desire, just my needs. It hadn't even occurred to me that he might be left alone when I grow up. No. No matter how hard, no matter who else I love, no matter how quickly this crush fades, I won't forget him. I won't leave him to become lonely again."

"So, friends?" She asked him brightly, not willing to hurt him and her other friends by being depressed, despite the sting of rejection, no matter how kind and the ache of lost love, no matter how fledgling.

"Yes. Friends is good." He replied, following her toward the tower. She had one last thing she needed to do.

"Wicked!" She called, racing toward him as soon as she saw him, ignoring the gathering crowd of their friends.

"I'm sorry. I was upset, and confused, and I took it out on you. I'm not going to let this ruin our friendship, and you were right. Kenshin and I have talked things over. We're just friends and comrades. Thank you for talking some sense into me before it was too late."

It wouldn't have been Wicked to gush over her apology, but sincere smile and firm handshake told her all she needed to know. Yes, she hurt from losing a love, but she had her friends.

Wicked, standing in front of her, reliable and trustworthy, Gui prancing over, making her smile inside at his flamboyant antics while she loosed her aggressive energy scolding and beating him, Lolidragon, flashing a sympathetic smile, but otherwise continuing as normal, Wolf-bro and Yulian, unaware of the drama, lost in a sea of blueprints and spreadsheets, Nan Gong Zui silently congratulating her for her warrior's pride, Doll and Sunshine valiantly protecting the carpet from all assault and Kenshin, silent as always, a step behind, ready to protect her at a moment's notice.

"Yes." She thought, "It's good to have friends."

_**~The End~**_

A/N: It's.

FINALLY.

FINISHED!

That was so hard to write... Thank you to anyone who read this story, and an extra thank you to anyone who actually bothers to read my author notes and finally, thanks again frosty, for inspiring me to write this, for introducing me to Half Prince, for reading every chapter and for being a great friend in general

Adios, mis amiogos! Gracias, por tu tiempo!


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